The present writing relates to the field of beverages, and more specifically to a simplified chambered bottle cap that can store and dispense the cap's contents into a bottle containing a fluid. The present cap differs considerably from the following prior art: TW M289049, U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,690 and U.S. Publication No. 2005/0211579.
Bottled beverages, including water, soda, and juices, comprise a multibillion dollar industry worldwide. The primary container used for the storage and sale of such beverages is the plastic bottle. Plastic bottles have gained such widespread use for a variety of factors, including low cost, light weight, ease of use, and durability. Plastic bottles are usually closed at the top with a plastic cap, usually with a type of safety seal. The cap can be removed by twisting or flipping to expose the beverage inside the bottle. Often such caps comprise a movable valve such as a sports bottle cap, which allows a person to seal the bottle and to use the valve as a drinking aid similar to a straw.
Water-soluble drink mixes are in widespread commercial use. Often in tablet or powder form, these mixes allow consumers to create beverages by simply adding water. The consumer measures the indicated or desired amount of mix to water in order to produce a beverage. Such mixing is impractical with common plastic water bottles, as it is difficult to introduce a powder through a narrow opening. It may be easier to do this in the home (with the use of a small funnel), however, but it is quite difficult when traveling or during outdoor activities such as hiking. Furthermore, such “on the go” mixing requires that the consumer carry a separate bottle and drink mix. It is also easy to incorrectly measure the amount of water or drink mix and thus create a beverage that is either too concentrated or diluted.
It is well known in the art that beverage additives such as vitamins, nutrients, and other supplements are volatile when suspended in liquids such as water. The potency of such beverage additives decreases over time in water. As a result, beverage manufactures must “over fortify” such beverages by adding additional vitamins, nutrients, and other supplements to ensure a minimum potency level at consumption or expiration. This causes additional raw material expenses for beverage producers, significantly shortens beverage shelf life, and leaves consumers uncertain of the potency or nutritional value of such beverages.
The general concept of a bottle or container top comprising a storage reservoir for a beverage additive is well known in the art. Various means have been described in the art, however each suffers from one or more undesirable aspects, all of which the instant device has been designed in an attempt to overcome.
A first deficiency in the art is that such caps often comprise reservoirs of such shapes which comprise barriers or cavities which block the flow of additives into the bottle, resulting in waste and additional effort by the consumer to utilize all of the components of the beverage. It is further possible that some of the additives or the fluid can remain in the cap after discharge, thus resulting in a beverage that is too weak, or in the case of medication or nutrients, the incorrect dose or strength.
A second deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise separate reservoir compartments, thus requiring additional costs and materials for product.
A third deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise cutting or piercing devices which are of a complicated structure or operation. This increases the cost of production of the cap, and in some cases, the cutting or piercing devices are dangerously sharp.
A fourth deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise insufficient or non-existent tamper resistant features, exposing the beverage additive and/or fluid to tampering.
A fifth deficiency in the art is that such caps often comprise excessively large tamper resistant features which require substantially more materials to produce. This increases the amount of waste product and increases the costs of production.
A sixth deficiency in the art is that such caps often comprise insufficient mechanisms for preventing the premature release of contents of reservoir into the beverage, thus increasing the risk of prematurely adding the beverage additives to the fluid in the bottle.
A seventh deficiency in the art is that such caps often comprise large mechanisms for preventing premature release, increasing the bulk and cost of production of the cap.
An eighth deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise missing or inadequate systems for preventing water from leaking out through the cap when agitated, such as through transport, shaking or inadvertent mixing;
A ninth deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise more than two component pieces for the cap, which significantly increases the complexity and cost of producing, assembling, and using the bottle cap.
A tenth deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise a separate reservoir which must be pierced, which renders the cap design more complicated (and thus more expensive to build and assemble).
An eleventh deficiency in the art is that such caps generally are not intended to be capped when bottled, thus not available for long term storage/transport, requiring separate purchase and transport, and thus cannot be placed on bottle long term.
A twelfth deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise parts of the bottle cap mechanism which are designed to fall into the fluid, creating a choking and safety hazard as the beverage is consumed.
A thirteenth deficiency in the art is that such caps often require significant physical effort (e.g., strength or a mechanical device such as a bottle opener) to remove the cap.
A fourteenth deficiency in the art is that such caps generally do not comprise a seal between cap and bottle, thus providing a beverage which is easier to tamper with or otherwise adulterate.
A fifteenth deficiency in the art is that such caps generally comprise plunger/piercing mechanism which must break through a difficult seal, requiring significant force by the user to release the contents of the cap into the fluid container. This is unsuitable for weaker individuals such as children or the elderly.
The present writing describes embodiments that are hoped to overcome many if not all of these deficiencies in the art, and include the following additional features heretofore not disclosed in the art.
The present writing presents a reservoir bottle cap with a simplified design, relying upon only two pieces for a combined cap, reservoir, piercing mechanism, and safety seals. This simplified design requires substantially fewer raw materials in producing the cap, and is less complicated to assemble. Both of these factors reduce the cost of production for a reservoir bottle cap. Furthermore, the cap described in the present writing is likely easier for the consumer to use than the caps of the current art.
The cap of the present writing utilizes a combination reservoir and piercing mechanism, reducing the number of components required for assembling a final bottle cap.
A further achievement of the cap of the present writing is the utilization of three separate seals and/or locking mechanisms, which attempt to prevent tampering of the beverage additives and fluid as well as premature release of beverage additives into the fluid. The first is a combination pull tab lock/seal on the exterior surface of the cap, which holds the piercing mechanism in place, thus preventing its removal or accidental engagement of the piercing mechanism/reservoir. The second seal is located at the base of the bottle cap on the exterior surface of the bottle which prevents the cap from being removed prior to use. The third seal is located at the base of the bottle cap in the interior of the bottle, which prevents accidental discharge of the stored beverage additives, and protects them from spoilage by contact with the fluid or other environmental factors. Other caps known in the art comprise only one or two seals (including ones which can be accidentally broken or even resealed in a manner to disguise prior opening), thus allowing the bottle to be easily tampered with or the contents to be adulterated. The lock seal of the cap described in the instant writing makes it almost impossible to engage the plunger without removing the lock seal. Other caps known in the art require the user to apply more force to engage the mechanism to release the contents of the reservoir.
A further aspect of the cap of the instant writing is that the reservoir and piercing mechanism do not create cavities or empty areas where the stored material (or fluid from mixing/agitation) can remain lodged. This allows for additional ease of use (less vigorous shaking/mixing is required) and more accurate dosing of components stored in the reservoir.
The cap of the present writing further discloses a structure which is intended to prevent fluid from leaking up through the bottle cap. This structure differs from the current art, which generally requires that additional materials are utilized to form a type of wedge. When depressing the plunger on such devices, the plunger needs to be forced into a locked position to prevent fluid leaking up through the cap. The cap of the instant writing utilizes a method which requires significantly less force, yet results in a complete fluid barrier in the cap.